Within hours of the news breaking, expressions of pleasure and pride were pouring into Heller Dean Lisa Lynch’s office from Texas to the Congo.

“There’s so much pride from folks at Heller and from lots of alums,” Lynch said. “It’s like ‘Yes! We’re getting recognized.’ There was a feeling we were a well-kept secret.”

As a practical matter, she said, “This is very helpful for us with graduate students coming from outside the country, and also with [research-]sponsoring agencies. It gives us a stamp.”

The U.S. News ranking is of graduate schools that focus on research and professional training for people trying to improve the lives of children, the elderly, minority groups and disadvantage populations.

“This has been the mission of the Heller School for more than 50 years,” Lynch said.

“We were one of the first schools to focus on what are the root causes of persistent disadvantages and poverty and also to focus on designing policies and thinking about how to implement those policies and deliver social services effectively,” Lynch said. “It’s that dual mission that contributes to this top ten ranking.”